Prospero Pictures/eOne Entertainment
It's the beginning of the summer, which means it's time for Hollywood's biggest and brightest stars to make their way to the French Riviera for the Cannes Film Festival, while the rest of us look on with jealousy. But just because you didn't snag a ticket to the most glamorous film event of the year, that doesn't mean you can't keep up with all of the big films premiering over the next two weeks. To help you stay on top of things, we're running down the biggest films that premiered in competition at the festival, including the latest from David Cronenberg, Steve Carell's potential Oscar vehicle and the high-profile movie that opened to worse reviews than Grace of Monaco.
Lost RiverActor Ryan Gosling's dreamy and feverish directorial debut follows Billy (Christina Hendricks) and her son Bones (Ian De Caestecker) as they struggle to survive the economically devastated Detroit-like city of Lost River. Billy goes to desperate lengths to keep her childhood home while Bones resorts to scavenging from local abandoned houses, but a local madman named Bully (Matt Smith) has claimed the entire neighborhood for himself. Lost River screened in the Un Certain Regard category at Cannes and was met with mostly boos from the audience. Many critics have cited Gosling's ambition, but have accused the first time director of being derivative of other, more seasoned filmmakers.
“'Lost' is indeed the operative word for this violent fairy tale about a fractured family trying to survive among the ruins of a city overrun by thugs, sexual predators and other demons, nearly all of them cribbed from the surreal cinematic imaginations of other, vastly more intuitive filmmakers. It’s perversely admirable to the extent that Gosling has certainly put himself out there, sans shame or apology, but train-wreck fascination will go only so far to turn this misguided passion project into an item of even remote commercial interest." - Justin Chang, Variety
"The visuals are undeniably dreamy, but they mostly seem borrowed from other filmmakers’ dreams. There’s a Twin Peaks feel of an alternate, off-kilter world to the whole thing, one in which arbitrary, quasi-surrealistic images barge in, sometimes for symbolic reasons, at other times arbitrarily. Many of them relate to ruin and decay—civic, environmental, bodily—and there is a sense of the ghosts who occupy both the ruined homes and the underwater town. As beautifully presented as the imagery is, however, none of it registers deeply because it all seems like borrowed goods. It’s flashy enough to engage the eye, but the experience is akin to flipping through a gorgeous art photography book featuring an assortment of artists rather than one. " - Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
Maps to the Stars David Cronenberg’s latest film follows Agatha (Mia Wasikowska), a young woman who was disfigured in a fire, and moves to LA in an attempt to reconnect with her family… even if they don’t want to reconnect with her. Along the way she befriends a limo driver (Robert Pattinson) and gets a job working for a washed-up movie star Havana Segrand (Julianne Moore), who is attempting to land the lead role in a remake of a film that once starred her mother (Sarah Gadon). Meanwhile, Havana's shrink (John Cusack) is raising tween megastar Benjie Weiss (Evan Bird), who at 13 is fresh out of rehab and whose fame allows him to get away with just about anything.
“If Sunset Boulevard, All About Eve and Kenneth Anger's Hollywood Babylon took a bunch of prescription medication, had a two-day three-way and conceived a child, nine months later the child would look something like "Map To The Stars. […] Hollywood's seemed pretty rotten from the off in the film, but as Cronenberg exposes its stinking maggoty core of ghosts, sexual deviancy and cover-ups, the film takes on a nightmarish K-hole tone of its own, while remaining darkly, bitterly funny to the last. LA's rarely seemed as unappealing on screen, which is quite the feat.” – Oliver Lyttelton, The Playlist
“David Cronenberg's new film here at Cannes is a gripping and exquisitely horrible movie about contemporary Hollywood – positively vivisectional in its sadism and scorn. It is twisted, twisty, and very far from all the predictable outsider platitudes about celebrity culture. The status-anxiety, fame-vertigo, sexual satiety and that all-encompassing fear of failure which poisons every triumph are displayed here with an icy new connoisseurship, a kind of extremism which faces down the traditional objection that films like this are secretly infatuated with their subject.” – Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Foxcatcher Based on the true story of the murder of wrestler Dave Schultz, Foxcatcher has emerged from the festival as a major player in next year's Oscars race. Channing Tatum stars as Mark Schultz, an Olympic wrestler who has long lived in the shadow of his older brother, Dave (Mark Ruffalo). When Mark gets an invitation from multimillionaire John E. duPont (Steve Carell) to move into his home and train at his facilities, his relationship with his new benefactor turns out ot have dangerous consequences.
"Despite its hefty 134-minute running time, “Foxcatcher” doesn’t have an ounce of the proverbial narrative fat [...] Crucially, this meticulously researched picture feels as authentic in its understanding of character as it does in its unvarnished re-creation of the world of Olympic sports in the late ’80s; rarely onscreen has the art of wrestling, centered around the violent yet intimate spectacle of men’s bodies in furious collision, provided so transfixing a metaphor for the emotional undercurrents raging beneath the surface." - Justin Chang, Variety
"Centered on an astonishing and utterly unexpected serious turn by Steve Carell, this beautifully modulated work has a great deal on its mind about America's privileged class, usurious relationships, men's ways of proving themselves, brotherly bonds and how deeply sublimated urges can assert themselves in the most unsavory ways." - Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
Saint LaurentFocused on the life and career of Yves Saint Laurent (Gaspard Ulliel), the film charts the designer's rise to fame and his relationship with his lover and business partner, Pierre Berge (Jeremie Renier). Written and directed by Bertrand Bonello, it's one of several high-profile biopics in contention at Cannes this year, although similarities to another recent Saint Laurent movie may have been its downfall with critics, as it only earned mixed reviews.
"The point could be to show what it all cost Saint Laurent - and yet it doesn't actually seem to have cost him that much: he grows to a pampered old age, not very conspicuously interested in anyone or anything but his dog. Perhaps it is that they are entirely without affect, like a tableau by Warhol, who writes Saint Laurent a fan letter here. Finally, Saint Laurent is a well made but bafflingly airless and claustrophobic film, like being with fashion's very own Tutenkhamen , living and dying inside his own richly appointed tomb - and sentimentally indulged to the last." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Perhaps through time this hallucinatory quasi-dream of a biopic will grow in stature, but as first impressions go, the film loves itself so much it renders itself beautiful, but utterly shallow. The messy structure, which includes further time jumps in the future – a random introduction of an older Saint Laurent, the Pierre Berge-handling business affairs at irregular intermissions between exploration of a bored genius, and animal cruelty in the form of a pug OD’ing on pills – doesn’t do the film any favors." - Nikola Grozdanovic, The Playlist
Ego Film Arts/The Film Farm
The Captive Atom Egoyan's latest film centers on the kidnapping of a teenage girl, and the torture that her captor puts her parents through. Eight years after Cass (Alexia Fast) disappeared, her parents (Ryan Reynolds and Mireille Enos) discover disturbing new evidence that leads them to believe that she's still alive, and they desperately attempt to get the police to take their case seriously. The film, which was perceived by many to be a comeback vehicle for both Reynolds and Eyogan, premiered to largely negative reviews, putting it up against Grace of Monaco and Lost River for the biggest disappointment of the festival.
"The plotting here is so hopelessly tangled, clichéd, and bereft of psychological complexity that it's difficult to care what happens to any of these people. That goes even for poor Cass, who seems at times to have a touch of Stockholm syndrome but otherwise just looks bored sitting around on the pink princess bed she's outgrown. As Mika's antics become more bizarre and her distraught dad out of nowhere starts outsmarting her tormentors, the movie goes from uninvolving to risible." - David Rooney, The Hollywood Reporter
"Any other year, in any other context, The Captive would simply be another overcooked rote thriller that, like so many other films in this genre, totally loses the run of itself in the final act (seriously, Kevin Durand goes so Bond villain that he even has a female henchperson sidekick). [...] Instead, right down to the nearly synonymous title we get a lurid, silly Prisoners me-too (and that film itself was far from flawless) in which the only additions are a flashback-and-forward structure that never works, the kind of contrivance in which a laptop camera accidentally left transmitting records a crucial conversation (perfectly framed) and a crude, distastefully regressive subtheme which suggests that well, of course that this is what happens to girls and to women (even successful, intelligent, independent women) when they are left alone even for a moment by their menfolk." - Jessica Kiang, The Playlist
The Homesman Co-written, directed by and starring Tommy Lee Jones, The Homesman follows a claim jumper and a pioneer woman (Hilary Swank), who accompany three insane women - played by Grace Gummer, Miranda Otto and Sonja Richter - across the border into Iowa. Like several other Cannes contenders, the film has already been receiving awards buzz, thanks to Jones' direction and a powerhouse lead performance from Swank.
"Unlike other actor-directors, Jones never seems to indulge excess on the part of his cast. Though the characters are strong, the performances are understated. Even the three ladies settle into a state of near-catatonia after awhile, rather than indulging their various “hysterias.” In the past, people have whispered about Jones’ attitudes toward women; with this film, he says a thing or two on the subject with a sensitivity that comes as a welcome surprise." - Peter Debruge, Variety
"This is a frontier tale with something of the classic style of Stagecoach or 3:10 to Yuma, but also the consciously grimmer, austerer feel of Kelly Reichardt's Meek's Cutoff and indeed Lee Jones's own The Three Burials Of Melquiades Estrada. And it is a frontier tale which is swimming against the generic current: most stories like these are about heading west. This is about a trudge in the opposite direction." - Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian
Follow @hollywood_com
//
Follow @julesemm
//

Bravo
We’re entering hour 60 of the Real Housewives of Atlanta hostage crisis. Apparently, Andy Cohen intends to squeeze every drop of drama of the franchise. After the entire crazy fight from the first reunion episode, the ladies had to sit there for at least four more hours to film content for two more one-hour reunion segments and this episode that features unseen footage. It’s mostly B-roll material, including a few dropped storylines and what seems like contractual obligations to show certain moments. The one thing it does do is cement Kenya Moore’s place as the center of the show. She’s not the most forthcoming but she does seem to be the only one having fun at this point. She also continues to give some of the best lines on the show.
Kenya vs. Porsha: Revisited
Time flies in the realm of housewives. In the week since Porsha Williams (fmr Stewart) gave her on-one-one interview with Andy, footage has been released of her giving a sermon with homophobic remarks. Porsha has since apologized. That’s most likely because she’s releasing her single “Flatline.” The gay community is one of the few actual “audiences” for Housewife songs. Meanwhile, this episode features fun and kooky moments with Kenya. She gives the best lines on the show and her props may be provocative but they’re funny. For example, she and Miss Lawrence Washington gab about Phaedra Parks. Kenya decides to give her a tiara and Lawrence gives the best Phaedra impression.
The Best Parts
The best parts of these clip shows are usually funny slice of life moments that remind us that these are real people and not drama machines. Phaedra Parks and Apollo Nida celebrate their birth of their son. Phaedra says they should have a naming ceremony because they are very popular in Africa and Nigeria… and The Lion King. If only, Dwight Eubanks did a theme party where they held up Mr. President! Kenya has a bizarre photoshoot for her own calendar. It features mostly half nude photos including the shocking booty shot from the opening credits. Who was her artistic director? Cynthia Bailey and The Bailey Agency despite Kenya’s ban after her “coochie crack” comments. There’s also a scene of NeNe Leakes and Kenya gossiping about boys in the car. It’s nice to see NeNe as an actual person. She really evolved, or devolved, into this shell spouting trite wannabe catch phrases. She seems to have had a scowl on her face all season.
Contractual Obligations
It seems like the bulk of the footage has to do with things that must appear in the season. For example, for no apparent reason, Naya Rivera of Glee stops by to have a conversation with NeNe Leakes. She flashes her engagement ring and they don’t say much of note and it feels pretty wooden like an acting exercise rather than a real lunch. It’s pretty clear she wouldn’t agree to be on the show and then have Bravo not air the footage. Also unnecessarily added is a segment about Porsha’s friendship with Kandi Burruss. It’s a pretty blatant plug for all the products Porsha’s working on including a hair line, teeth whitening treatment, and her music career.
Let It Die
This episode featured a few extra moments from some of the most dramatic and boring storylines on the show. Cynthia’s daughter Noelle has a birthday party and introduces her boyfriend, Arthur, to her father Leon Robinson. Did you fall asleep? Natalie Macklin confronts Cynthia after the pajama party that turned into a brawl with sleepwear. Natalie accuses Cynthia of starting trouble because she is the one who used the word opportunist. And with that, she joined the roster of forgotten potential housewives including Kim G from New Jersey and Jennifer Gilbert from New York City.
There is also extra footage from the now overwrought beef between various cast members. Momma Joyce gets a few more digs at Todd Tucker during their dinner and guilt trips her daughter during therapy. There are more misogynistic statements from Chuck Smith to Phaedra as about their past relationship. He had already said enough horrible things when he said she was “part of the team.” Then he manages to be smug and disparage Apollo’s character while also telling Phaedra that he was mentoring her. These scenes just feel like they’re just pouring salt on old wounds.
Kenya: Behind the Props
Kenya stops by for a one-on-one with Andy. She proves she’s eloquent and savvy about her presence on the show. She definitely seems cagey about her African prince and some aspects of her personal life, but given the number of people who have lost relationships on Bravo it may be for the best. She brings up some valid points about her fight with Porsha. Porsha was the first one to throw out threats, the first one to stand up, and generally unapologetic. Also, she was accused for starting the pajama brawl for standing up but Porsha did the same thing. Regardless of how annoying Kenya can be, Andy is as much an instigator as she is during the reunions. Also, no one deserves to be hit no matter how much they are provoked.
Real Houselines of Atlanta
"I never thought I was a lesbian but Kenya is looking oh so sexy." – Cynthia
"I’m trying to be nice. I am trying to buy some of this woman’s beads so she can afford a hotel room at the Holiday Inn." – Kenya after her fight with Malorie Massie
"When your man lives many continents away you have to learn how to keep it fresh. And you might have to open up your computer screen and uncross your legs sometimes." – Kenya on Skype
"I must remain a lady at all times and I do not kiss and tell. But what I can say? If I do kiss something, it is not small." – Kenya
"He’s gonna need a wax." – Phaedra on her baby’s hair
Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Follow @AbsoluteCintron
//

Weinstein Company via Everett Collection
The Hateful Eight, Quentin Tarantino's violent and visceral post-Civil War western, was originally intended to be the director's follow up to 2011's Django Unchained, but the project was ostensibly nixed after someone in Tarantino's inner-circle of actors and producers leaked the script up and down the annals of Hollywood. The first draft of the script eventually ended up on Gawker for public consumption, which led to the filmmaker suing the outlet. Tarantino, just a few angry foot stomps away from having a genuine fit, declared that he would never produce a filmed version of the project and would perhaps instead release the script in the form of a book.
We thought this might be the end of The Hateful Eight saga, but in the ensuing months, it looks like cooler heads might have prevailed. On Saturday, Tarantino held a staged reading of the script, which he declared would be the only time this version of it would ever be performed. The reading included performances from some of Tarantino's most notable actors, including Samuel L. Jackson, Tim Roth, Bruce Dern, Walton Goggins, James Parks, Michael Madsen, and James Remar. The story follows a group of bounty hunters and rogues that take shelter in a haberdashery during a blizzard. Tensions rise and blood predictably spills once characters start getting picked off one by one.
The live read provided a great glimpse into Tarantino's creative process, featuring the director lording over his actors and chiding them for taking even the smallest creative license with his script ("No co-writing"). Tarantino displayed a boundless and giddy enthusiasm for his latest work, enthusiasm that won't likely be contained by a single script reading in a sweltering LA theater. According to The Hollywood Reporter, Tarantino stated during the performance, "I am working right now on a second draft. This is the first draft." This and several other statements made by the director over the course of the night are leading many to believe that he still has plans to eventually create a film based on some form of the The Hateful Eight script.
A number of journalists were in attendance for the reading, and the consensus is that while The Hateful Eight is a bit rough around the edges, it has the potential to be a great film. It's rough, edgy, sinful, and whip smart, just like Tarantino's finest. Here's what a few of them had to say:
"The Hateful Eight explores only two locations, denies a single protagonist in favor of eight unlikeable brutes, and winds a profane, bloody, and darkly humorous plot to an anticlimactic and upsetting finish." Charlie Schmidlin, The Playlist
"The Hateful Eight is raw, ragged, raucous, riveting." - Betsy Sharkey, The LA Times
"What we see tonight is more reminiscent of Reservoir Dogs than of Tarantino's more sprawling recent work: two locations, both claustrophobic and teeming with mutual suspicion and recrimination, with much occurring off-screen or in flashback." - John Patterson, The Guardian
"The script, with its slangy, smart-ass dialogue, surprising associations, extended digressions and tangy flavor, is recognizably Tarantino all the way." - Todd McCarthy, The Hollywood Reporter
"...the total lack of air conditioning and the preposterously close rows combined to make the running time of over three-and-a-half hours almost impossible to bear. It is a testament, then, to the compelling nature of Tarantino's script and to the great cast he put together that no one seemed willing to leave before the end, no matter how hard it was to stay seated." - Drew McWeeny, Hitfix
"As you’d expect from Tarantino, the script is violent, bloody, laced with profanity and even vomit." - Janine Lew, Variety
"It’s Tarantino meets Agatha Christie. It played like a very good, but still a little rough, first draft. The introduction is incredibly tight and sound. The dialogue crackles, but while it’s a hardass hoot, the payoff is still missing." Brian Formo, Crave Online
Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Follow @CurrentlyJordan
//

Walt Disney Studios
When you think about it, superheroes can be a pretty fickle bunch. Through several decades of comic books and the dozens of comic book films released over the years, it's become abundantly clear that there's no such thing as a binding alliance. Comic book characters switch over the moral dividing line so often that keeping track of it all can be headache-enducing, a fact that one Captain America knows all too well. In the upcoming sequel, Captain America: The Winter Soldier, Cap sees himself facing off against an old friend, and in his honor, we've decided to list our favorite comic book movie frienemies.
Harry Osborne and Peter Parker (Spider-Man)High school best buds turned mortal foes, Peter Parker and Harry Osborne are the original frenemies. When Harry discovers that Spider-Man killed his father Norman (the OG Green Goblin), and later finds out that Peter Parker is Spider-Man, the news sets him on a raging path of revenge. Harry picks up the mantle of the Green Goblin and tries to put a stop to the webslinger's heroics once and for all.
Loki and Thor (Thor)Being second sucks, doesn't it? Brothers Thor and Loki were always thick as thieves, but under the surface, certain injustices began to slowly gnaw away at their friendship. Jealousy over Thor's birthright plus the discovery of his true frost-giant origins were enough to send the already mischievous Loki into full villain mode.
Dr. Connors and Peter Parker (The Amazing Spider-Man)Peter Parker and Dr. Connors had a budding Teacher/protege relationship in The Amazing Spider-Man, but Connors was slowly driven crazy by his limb re-growth serum and becomes the Lizard. When the Lizard decides to turn the whole of New York into gigantic reptilian creatures, Spidey had to take the respected scientist down.
Andrew, Matt, and Steve (Chronicle)There's nothing like finding alien superpowers to make a friendship stronger. In Max Landis' Chronicle, Andrew, Matt and Steve bond after accidentally obtaining powers, but Andrew gets consumed by his new found abilities and his terrible home life. After possibly killing Steve, Andrew goes on a rampage through the streets of Seattle, and it's up to Matt to stop him before more people get hurt.
Todd and Dave (Kick-Ass 2)In the sequel to Kick-Ass, the eponymous hero continues to wage his inept war against crime, but when his best friend Todd feels left out of the superheroics, he almost unwittingly becomes a henchmen of Christopher Mintz-Plasse's The Motherfu****, and inadvertantly get's Kick-Ass' father killed. Things between the two are reconciled at the end, but there are some things you probably shouldn't forgive.
Magneto and Professor X (X-Men: First Class)Did I say Harry and Peter were the original frenemies? Nope, that honor clearly goes to Magneto and Professor X. While Erik Lehnsherr and Charles Xavier were originally united in their fight for Mutant rights in the 60's, Professor X sought more peaceful methods, while Magneto was very much an ends-justifies-the-means type of guy, and the two have been at each others throats ever since. They still have mutual respect and affection for one another, but it's buried under years of hate.
Mystique and Professor X (X-Men: First Class)Wait, hold on. Did I say Magneto and Professor X were the original frienemies? Well, according to X-Men: First Class, the good Professor knew Mystique back when they were both children. The two were basically siblings growing up until Raven started to side with Magneto's more forceful ideas about Mutant rights.
Harvey Dent and Bruce Wayne (Batman Forever)Harvey Dent was a by-the-books district attorney that protected Gotham with law and order, while allowing Batman clean up whatever scum slipped out of the court and onto the streets. Their tag-team was broken up when Dent's face was burned by a disgruntled crime boss in the middle of a court proceeding, and Dent is driven insane by his disfigurement, becoming the villain Two Face.
Sabertooth and Wolverine (X-Men Origins: Wolverine)Bound by blood and death, Wolverine and Sabertooth were half-brothers that spent the better part of two centuries fighting through American military conflicts across the globe. After being recruited by William Stryker to join a group of mutant military group called Team X and carrying out some wet work on behalf of the government, Logan leaves the team, feeling dismayed by all of the killing, and Sabertooth sees this as the ultimate betrayal.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Follow @CurrentlyJordan
//

Getty Images
After a very deliberately paced casting process, the new adventure in a galaxy far, far away in finally starting to take shape. According to Variety, John Boyega, Jesse Plemons, and Ed Speleers, as well as theater actors Ray Fisher and Matthew James Thomas are all in the running for the lead role in Star Wars: Episode VII. The role is rumored to be a Jedi apprentice, and will likely see the character learning the ways of the Jedi from Mark Hamill's Luke Skywalker.
It seems that director J.J. Abrams is targeting relatively unkown actors for the lead roles, a move that worked wonders in A New Hope. In the past, Abrams and other members of the production have been vocal about returning the franchise to its roots, and evoking the qualities that made the original trilogy such a dearly beloved series among fans. After sifting through the short list of actors, we wondered which of the more notable names would go on to make the best Jedi apprentice.
JOHN BOYEGA
Notable Roles: Moses in Attack the Block.Jedi Potential: Jedis are the stoic protectors of the galaxy. As we saw in Attack the Block, Boyega can do stoic very well. But beyond that, Boyega’s turn in ATB also conveyed a hidden rage burning under the surface of his character, and the ability to give a nuanced performance is important considering how flat the Jedi have come across in the past. Seriously, Star Wars found a way to make Samuel L. Jackson boring.Lightsaber Prowess: In Attack the Block, Moses’ chosen weapon to fight off alien invaders is a katana, which is a weapon only a couple million technological innovations away from a lightsaber. By that logic, Boyega should be a natural, though some bandages might come in handy.
JESSE PLEMONS
Notable Roles: Todd in Breaking Bad, Landry in Friday Night Lights.Jedi Potential: There’s something inherently goofy about Jesse Plemons. Even when portraying a mush-mouthed sociopath in Breaking Bad, it was hard to stay mad at him. While those characteristics might have worked in the pitch black humor of Breaking Bad, we wonder how this might play in the Star Wars universe, especially considering how seriously the Jedi generally take themselves.Lightsaber Prowess: A true Renaissance man, Friday Night Lights’ Landry Clarke was not only one of the best kickers Dillon High School had ever seen, but he was also the lead singer in the Christian speed metal band Crucifictorious. When you’ve already touched greatness in faith based rock music and high school football, handling a lightsaber should be cake.
ED SPELEERS
Notable Roles: Eragon in Eragon, Jimmy in Downton Abbey.Jedi Potential: Speleers' first taste of fantasy filmmaking came in Eragon, a popular book series that didn't have the legs to last as a succesful film property. Speleers’ character on Downton Abbey, Jimmy, is the confident and charismatic footman at Downton, and his bravado and flirtatious tendancies have often gotten him in trouble at the estate. Words like "bravado" and "charisma" don't usually go hand in hand with Jedi, but afterthe prequel films, we don't think most fans would mind a little diversity in Jedi personalities.Lightsaber Prowess: There isn't much in the way of swordplay on the estate of Downton, but Speleers did get some bladework in while filming Eragon, so a lightsaber shouldn't be too big of an adjustment.
MATTHEW JAMES THOMAS
Notable Roles: Peter Parker/Spider-Man in Spider-Man: Turn off the Dark.Jedi Potential: Thomas' time as the geeky arbiter of justice, Spider-Man, should give him an edge in the Jedi department. The infamous Broadway production was full of high flying wire work, so Thomas should be well equipped to handle any stunts in the upcoming film. In any case, Jedi are sort of the geeks of the galaxy anyway.Lightsaber Prowess: Peter Parker isn't one for swordplay, so Thomas might be a little lost during the lightsaber battles, but all of that Spidey training will still come in handy.
RAY FISHER
Notable Roles: Muhammad Ali in Fetch Clay, Make Man.Jedi Potential: A virtual unknown in the film world, Fisher doesn't have many big screen credits as of yet, but the young thespian does have a good amount of experience in theater. The actor recently played Muhammad Ali in the off-Broadway production of Fetch Clay, Make Man. Ali was a fierce boxer as well as a thinker, and the Jedi order has the same dichotomy of violence and philosophy. We think Fisher may be more qualified for the Jedi Robes than his IMDB page lets on. He'll certainly be the coolest Jedi ever.Lightsaber Prowess: Honestly, who needs lightsabers when you're the heavyweight champion of the world? The force is strong with this one, even without any laser sword experience.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Follow @CurrentlyJordan
//

DreamWorks
For the bulk of every Rocky and Bullwinkle episode, moose and squirrel would engage in high concept escapades that satirized geopolitics, contemporary cinema, and the very fabrics of the human condition. With all of that to work with, there's no excuse for why the pair and their Soviet nemeses haven't gotten a decent movie adaptation. But the ingenious Mr. Peabody and his faithful boy Sherman are another story, intercut between Rocky and Bullwinkle segments to teach kids brief history lessons and toss in a nearly lethal dose of puns. Their stories and relationship were much simpler, which means that bringing their shtick to the big screen would entail a lot more invention — always risky when you're dealing with precious material.
For the most part, Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman handles the regeneration of its heroes aptly, allowing for emotionally substance in their unique father-son relationship and all the difficulties inherent therein. The story is no subtle metaphor for the difficulties surrounding gay adoption, with society decreeing that a dog, no matter how hyper-intelligent, cannot be a suitable father. The central plot has Peabody hosting a party for a disapproving child services agent and the parents of a young girl with whom 7-year-old Sherman had a schoolyard spat, all in order to prove himself a suitable dad. Of course, the WABAC comes into play when the tots take it for a spin, forcing Peabody to rush to their rescue.
Getting down to personals, we also see the left brain-heavy Peabody struggle with being father Sherman deserves. The bulk of the emotional marks are hit as we learn just how much Peabody cares for Sherman, and just how hard it has been to accept that his only family is growing up and changing.
DreamWorks
But more successful than the new is the film's handling of the old — the material that Peabody and Sherman purists will adore. They travel back in time via the WABAC Machine to Ancient Egypt, the Renaissance, and the Trojan War, and 18th Century France, explaining the cultural backdrop and historical significance of the settings and characters they happen upon, all with that irreverent (but no longer racist) flare that the old cartoons enjoyed. And oh... the puns.
Mr. Peabody &amp; Sherman is a f**king treasure trove of some of the most amazingly bad puns in recent cinema. This effort alone will leave you in awe.
The film does unravel in its final act, bringing the science-fiction of time travel a little too close to the forefront and dropping the ball on a good deal of its emotional groundwork. What seemed to be substantial building blocks do not pay off in the way we might, as scholars of animated family cinema, have anticipated, leaving the movie with an unfinished feeling.
But all in all, it's a bright, compassionate, reasonably educational, and occasionally funny if not altogether worthy tribute to an old favorite. And since we don't have our own WABAC machine to return to a time of regularly scheduled Peabody and Sherman cartoons, this will do okay for now.
If nothing else, it's worth your time for the puns.
3/5
Follow @Michael Arbeiter
//
| Follow @Hollywood_com
//

MTV
The State alum Ken Marino has just been cast in David Caspe's new NBC pilot Marry Me. The project will follow Jake and Annie, a newly engaged couple coping with the challenges of commitment. Marino will star opposite Casey Wilson, who also appeared in Caspe's previous show, Happy Endings. Marino's casting had us wonding what happened to the rest of the funny people that made up The State. It turns out that they've all stayed relatively busy.
Even though The State only ran on MTV for two short years and 26 episodes, that was long enough for the series to create a splash big enough to soak every inch of modern sketch comedy with its influence, and the cast has since traveled to the far reaches of the comedy world. Even after the end of the MTV sketch show, much of the original cast have worked together quite frequently, including the 2001 film Wet Hot American Summer, Reno 911!, and Stella. So what is the cast of The State up to these days?
Ken MarinoBesides his newest show with Caspe, Marino is appearing in the medical drama satire Childrens Hospital along with fellow The State cast member David Wain and lends his voice to the animated comedy Axe Cop. Additionally, Marino has recently concluded his Bachelor parody web series, Burning Love. The actor will reprise his Vinnie Van Lowe role in the upcoming Veronica Mars movie
Michael ShowalterSchowalter recently released the comedy book Guys Can Be Cat Ladies Too, and is currently writing for Rebel Wilson's ABC sitcom Super Fun Night.
David WainSince The State, Wain's career has taken off as a director. His latest film, They Came Together, starring Amy Poehler and Paul Rudd, just premiered at the Sundance Film Festival.
Thomas Lennon and Robert Ben GarantLennon and Garant still work together, primarily behind camera, writing the Night at the Museum movies and last year's horror comedy Hell Baby. Lennon also stars on the NBC sitcom Sean Saves the World, and will (oddly) appear in the upcoming Terence Malick movie Knight of Cups.
Kerri Kenney-SilverKenny-Silver will star in the upcoming Fox sitcom Us &amp; Them and the animated comedy Hell &amp; Back.
Kevin AllisonAllison hosts the weekly podcast RISK! which focuses on storytelling and comedy.Todd HoloubekWe have no idea.
Joe Lo TruglioYou've seen him in a few Seth Rogen films, and Lo Truglio is presently one of Golden Globe winner Brooklyn Nine-Nine's long array of breakout stars (policeman/foodie Charles Boyle).
Michael Ian BlackBlack has been busy. The I Love the '80s vet is developing his own Adult Swim series, a self-help satire titled You're Whole, and will appear in Wain's They Came Together, the aforementioned sitcom Us &amp; Them, and a developing platform for comedian Jim Gaffigan.
Michael Patrick JannJann is almost exclusively a director now, helming episodes of Community, The Michael J. Fox Show, The Crazy Ones, The Goldbergs, upcoming sitcoms Us &amp; Them and Growing Up Fisher, and the developing comedy film Mantivities, which will star Chris Pine.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//
Follow @CurrentlyJordan
//

Bravo
In honor of The Grammys, this episode was all about misguided theme parties. It wouldn’t be a Real Housewives season without someone dropping a few thousand on a completely unnecessary event. This season is no different, but what did we learn from Married to Medicine? Nothing makes a party more memorable than fisticuffs.
Phaedra Parks is no stranger to ostentatious events. Remember her funerals? How about the ratchet pool party complete with a formal presentation of 12 different cakes ... for a one-year-old! She decides to have an inauguration-themed christening for her son, Dylan aka Mr. President. She brings back NeNe Leakes’ former gay bff, Dwight Eubanks, to plan. Dwight certainly looks like he’s been dipped in plastic surgery. The party is a smash at a huge mansion with secret service agent dancers and looks smashing. However, the tension between Apollo and Phaedra is so thick you could cut it with children’s safety scissors ... and they don’t cut anything.
Kenya Moore is having a different kind of party. The theme is delusion. She goes to a fertility specialist who tells her the obvious her ovaries aren’t as keen on pregnancy as she is. She then takes her gay bff Lawrence Welk Washington. They visit a sperm bank where Kenya makes a laundry list of demands that can’t possibly be met. She wants someone intelligent, tall, attractive, with green eyes, full lips, super powers, albino hair...
Kandi Burruss and Todd Tucker discuss their misguided musical. Kandi also mentions what Natalie Williams said about him being an opportunist, just in time for NeNe’s pajama party. She has decided to gather all the usual suspects for some major drama. Everyone will be in various states of undress and they all have an axe to grind. Not only are all of the ladies there but Natalie and Christopher Williams and Mynique and Chuck Smith are there. Existing beef + drama – clothes = tension. NeNe says that she wants to just air everything out so everyone can get along but she seems primed to orchestrate the episode to end all episodes. If there was a Supreme among the Real Housewives it would be NeNe.
Everyone arrives to the party but Kenya is an hour late. Everyone bonds over the fact that Kenya has attacked all of them for being late and she hasn’t arrived or called. Point one: NeNe. NeNe reveals that not only will everyone be wearing pajamas but the men and women will be “served” by their own ratchet stripper. This is a huge departure from the NeNe who was too coy to discuss sex. Now that she isn’t on The New Normal, old NeNe is back and she’s spilling the tea.
Kenya arrives with her friend Brandon DeShazer. You might remember him from other physical altercations. Despite NeNe giving Kenya major attitude, the tension dies down and everyone has fun. They discusses sex, masturbation, sex toys, and strippers. Suddenly, Peter Thomas aggressively reveals he loves to go to strippers but never gets a lap dance. Kandi accuses him of lying and reveals some of the secrets she knows about Peter that she referenced last episode. Apollo reveals that he has spent $5,000 to $8,000 a night at a strip club.
Out of nowhere, NeNe brings up Kenya’s accusations that Christopher Williams and Natalie do not have a real marriage. He gets up to refute that and then she gets up to go walk over to Natalie, presumably to get into her face. Christopher steps in and all hell breaks loose. First, Brandon gets aggressive with Christopher for touching Kenya but suddenly Apollo and Peter attack Brandon and take him down and now they are fighting for a good 10 minutes while Christopher is being held back. Apollo seems hungry for blood, and looking good in a torn T-shirt. NeNe yells at Kenya for starting the fight. However, the instigator of the fight was Mrs. Peacock NeNe in the hotel room with the candlestick booze, strippers, and drama. Sadly, we have to wait a week before we see part two of the fight.
The Reading Room: Best Lines of the Night
Do you have a history of mental illness? Yes! – Kenya about her family life
If you guys have any spare lube around, I’d love to take some? –Lawrence at the sperm bank
I do not want any DNA from a person who is clearly unintelligent. One Porsha running around town is enough for us all. –Kenya
Now this is how you make an entrance. It’s not called being late it’s called being grand. –Phaedra
I want to do a blessing over Dylan today and wrap him in purple and the royalty and cover him in the blood. –Phaedra’s mother Pastor Regina Bell's blessing
What kind of question is that Miss Leakes? Is this a fun game or are you stirring the pot as usual? –Phaedra about NeNe’s party game questions
Once a heathen always a heathen that’s why she’s Kenya Moore-Whore. –Phaedra
Is she going to tuck before she dances…because she’s looking like a man. –Kenya about Natalie dancing for her husband
Apollo is out of his mind….beating Brandon like as though he’s in his jail cell fighting for his virginity. –Kenya about the fight
Follow @Hollywood_com
//

Bravo
This episode was all about one thing ... negativity. It seems like everyone is throwing it out into the universe. And what do we get when we put negativity out in the universe ... we get shade.
The episode begins with Phaedra Parks visiting Kandi Burruss to discuss her trip to Athens. She and Kandi bond over having slept with the same small-penised man and delight in being more successful than Chuck Smith. Speaking of failed relationships, it looks like Kandi’s current man Todd Tucker is completely comfortable abandoning their failed musical for an international job. Six months is a long time to leave your partner if you plan on going into business with the and are planning a wedding. Suddenly, the craziest thought of the season ... what if Momma Joyce is right? Maybe her crazy is a smokescreen for A Beautiful Mind kind of genius. There are probably equations written all over her bedroom in Kandi’s old house.
Cynthia Bailey continues her game of Russian Roulette house with her sister Malorie Mal Massie staying for two months. She starts looking at her bead designs ... because what’s the best business to start in a recession, high-end beaded bracelets. Apparently, smart business decisions don’t run in the family. Peter Thomas shows up and the conversation degrades into a fight about sex. The scariest part is that Cynthia thinks she is responsible for Peter giving her a physical verbal lashing last episode. As his wife, she’s justified in questioning his business decisions. She also shouldn’t have to talk about getting freaky in front of her sister. After all, this is Bravo not Playboy Channel. Coincidentally, the Real Housewives of Boob Island are going through similar issues.
Kenya Moore unwittingly invites herself into everyone’s heart when she invites her overly critical and verbally abusive father to stay with her. Her dad shows up like a horrible actor playing a character from Texas. He then proceeds to insult everything about Kenya from her feet to her house to her life choices. Doesn’t he realize this is going to air on television? And suddenly, Kenya’s constant need for attention and validation makes sense. NeNe Leakes and Cynthia stop by Kenya’s house to witness Kenya’s father’s horrible misogyny and disrespect. Then Kenya calls out NeNe on not wanting to star in Kandi’s play. NeNe replies, “I just got finished starring in a Ryan Murphy production ... should I really be starring in a Kandi Burruss production?”
Meanwhile, on Stupidity Island, Porsha Stewart is still expecting a huge payout for her short marriage to Kordell Stewart. Their possible reconciliation seemed like a ratings ploy because Kordell hasn’t once appeared on the show and I’m not sure anyone could forgive her repeated claims that he’s gay. Her lawyers had to explain that they will need to be paid. In more financial issue news, she invites Phaedra and Kandi over to see her huge house. Considering the lack of fixtures and furniture, Phaedra asks if leasing such a house is a good idea. If the walls in her house could talk they’d scream, “Why don’t you have furniture, crazy?!?” Porsha responds that the house is inspirational. People get inspired by art but they don’t buy museums.
Cynthia has a tired trunk show for Mal’s hardware jewelry design. Kenya jokingly points out Mal’s rudeness with her unannounced two month visit to which Mal responds with some major shade. Mynique Smith, spelling champion, appears and is ignored by both Phaedra and Kandi. Everyone discusses how close Porsha’s new house is to NeNe. NeNe begins yelling at Porsha for being a bad friend which makes Porsha cry for the 150oth time this season. Kenya, in a moment of lucidity, says what we’re all thinking, “Is she still crying about her divorce?” She storms out and twirls in front of a car across the street. NeNe apologizes to a tear covered Porsha. Then Porsha officially made the last reference to her divorce before all of America collectively agrees to fast forward through her stories in the future.
Phaedra’s Best Lines
Gimme a Colt 45 on the side for my chips. - On Kandi’s dog eating Salt &amp; Vinegar chips.
I don’t like bite-sized brownies and I don’t like cocktail sausages. - On Chuck’s piece.
I’m married ... and if you ain’t seen my husband you better open up your eyes, booboo. - On Chuck vs. Apollo.
You light skinned Frankenstein, shut up. - To Chuck.
They have malt liquor on this side of town. - Saying Goodbye to Kenya at an event.
Follow @Hollywood_com
//

Bravo
The episode was all about ghosts. You know, the manifestation of tired dead things that just will not go away like the random Bravo reality shows that follow the Housewives. This episode finds the ladies haunted by the fight from the last episode. Kenya Moore is still yelling at Kandi Burruss about her and Phaedra Parks’ lateness. Then the girls gloss over it and start talking about how often they have sex while watching Phaedra pump her breast?!? Everyone disagrees about the importance of being submissive to their husband except for Mynique Smith. That makes Porsha Stewart cry because she’s still haunted by the ghost of her failed marriage. You need an exorcism Porsha!
The ladies stay at the Wedding Cake Mansion in Savannah. They get the run of a luxury mansion and the ladies set off to choose their room. Haunted by the horrible parenting of her crazy mother Momma Joyce, Kandi decides to take the master bedroom. Regardless of Bravo footing the bill, NeNe Leakes is the person that planned the trip so she does technically deserve the room. But in the same way that some people can’t see ghosts, Kandi cannot see general manners. After all, were it not for NeNe she would be vacationing in obscurity with The Kandi Factory.
After Roomgate, the ladies huddle in the kitchen for a glass of wine. NeNe keeps NayNay her aggressive alter-ego at bay. That leaves room for everyone else to dust off their triflin’ muscles. Kenya tries to stir the pot and suggest that NeNe set some ground rules. And thus begins the first fight of the trip. Mynique tries to be cute and teases Phaedra about being late. Then Phaedra reads her and gives her a fright. The girls decompress and discuss Mynique’s thorough reading. She was torn a new one thoroughly by Phaedra with a well-placed side eye. Meanwhile, Phaedra and Kandi are discussing their mutual connection to Mynique’s husband Chuck Smith. Given Phaedra’s love of the macabre, the two run after a hearse with a bunch of people sitting in the back.
Mynique pops into Cynthia Bailey’s room for some eye make-up tips. She ends up getting some lessons in the Queen’s English by Cynthia. Thus proving what everyone has failed to acknowledge, The Real Housewives franchise is centered around older women pretending to be gay men. Kandi has a Facetime call with her husband Todd Tucker and he ignores her most of the time. Could she be haunted by the ghost of the truth? Maybe Momma Joyce’s crazy allegations are truthful.
The ladies tour one of the oldest African-American churches in North America. Porsha discusses her grandfather, civil rights leader Hosea Washington, because they are in one of the stops of the Underground Railroad. Sadly, haunted by the paint chips she ate as a child, Porsha doesn’t realize that the Underground Railroad was a metaphorical railroad ... not an actual one.
The girls conclude day one with drinks. They decide to spill some tea ... about Mynique’s husband and his many girlfriends that are all sitting at the same table. Mynique plays dumb but Phadra and Kandi confess they all dated Chuck. When Porsha speaks up, Mynique tests her reading skills and comes after Porsha. However, Porsha is not having it and let's Mynique know where she stands in the group ...way in the back.
Shady Quotables
I have a newborn, I’m a mother and I have jobs. -Phaedra to Mynique
I hope you got that Monique with a y instead of an o. Who does that anyway? -Phaedra
I don’t think she read me. I don’t feel read. -Mynique
She’s a white girl in a black-white girl’s body. - NeNe about Mynique
Now she [Kandi] ain’t ran in her entire life and she’s about to start running up these steps. -NeNe
There has to be an opening at some point because somebody’s driving a train ... they’re not electric like what we have now. -Porsha about the Underground Railroad
It’s almost hurtful to me to watch her be so dumb. - Kenya about Porsha
I don’t even know you. -Most of the girls about Mynique
Follow @Hollywood_com
//